Multi-bit sigma-delta modulator with reduced number of bits in feedback path

ABSTRACT

A sigma-delta modulator for an ADC, passes an input signal to a loop filter, then to a multi-bit quantizer of the modulator. An output of the quantizer is passed to a digital filter, and a feedback signal is passed back to the loop filter, the feedback signal having fewer bits than are produced by the multi-bit quantizer. The digital filter has an order greater than one in the passband of the sigma-delta modulator.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This disclosure relates to sigma-delta modulators, to analog-to-digitalconverters having a sigma-delta modulator, and to methods of convertinga signal.

2. Description of the Related Art

Sigma-delta (ΣΔ) modulators are employed in analog-to-digital converters(ADCs). U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,368 discloses in FIG. 3 and its accompanyingtext a ΣΔ modulator to be used in an over-sampling type ADC, whichincludes an analog ΣΔ modulator coupled to a digital ΣΔ modulator. Theanalog ΣΔ modulator includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) whichconverts a one-bit feed-back signal to an analog signal, an analog adderor subtractor which calculates a difference between an output signaltransmitted from the DAC and an analog input signal. The analog ΣΔmodulator also has an analog integrator, which integrates output signalstransmitted from the analog adder or subtractor, and a first quantizerwhich converts an output signal transmitted from the analog integrator,into a digital signal. The digital ΣΔ modulator includes a digital adderor subtractor which calculates a difference between an output signaltransmitted from the first quantizer and the one-bit feed-back signal, adigital integrator which integrates output signals transmitted from thedigital adder or subtractor, a second quantizer which converts an outputsignal transmitted from the digital integrator into a one-bit digitalsignal, and a delay element which delays the one-bit digital signaltransmitted from the second quantizer and feeds the thus delayed signalback as the one-bit feed-back signal. Since the feedback signaltransmitted to the analog modulator is a one-bit signal, distortioncaused by non-linearity error of the DAC can be reduced.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In an embodiment of the disclosure there is provided a sigma-deltamodulator comprising:

-   -   a summing stage for generating an error signal as the difference        between an input signal and a feedback signal;    -   a loop filter coupled to an output of the summing stage for        filtering the error signal;    -   a multi-bit quantizer coupled to an output of the loop filter        for quantizing the filtered error signal;    -   a digital filter coupled to an output of the multi-bit        quantizer; and    -   a feedback path coupling an output of the digital filter to the        summing stage for providing the feedback signal to the summing        stage,

wherein the feedback signal has fewer bits than a number of bitsproduced by the multi-bit quantizer. In an embodiment, there is no otherfeedback path coupling the output of the digital filter to an input ofthe digital filter.

In an embodiment of the disclosure there is provided a method ofconverting a signal comprising:

-   -   generating an error signal as the difference between an input        signal and a feedback signal;    -   filtering the error signal;    -   quantizing the filtered error signal using a multi-bit        quantizer;    -   filtering the quantized and filtered error signal using a        digital filter; and    -   generating the feedback signal from an output signal of the        digital filter;

wherein the feedback signal has fewer bits than a number of bitsproduced by the multi-bit quantizer. In an embodiment, there is no otherfeedback of the output signal of the digital filter to an input of thedigital filter.

The use of a multi-bit quantizer helps reduce quantization noise and thefeedback having fewer bits helps reduce non-linearity errors, which canarise in the feedback path.

The ΣΔ modulator of the prior art mentioned above has separate feedbackloops for the analog ΣΔ modulator and for the digital ΣΔ modulator. Incontrast, an embodiment has no feedback path coupling the output of thedigital filter to an input of the digital filter other than the feedbackpath coupling the output of the digital filter to the summing stage. Inother words, the ΣΔ modulator of an embodiment may have only a singlefeedback path, that feedback path being the feedback path coupling theoutput of the digital filter to the summing stage. This means that thereis less or no need for a multiple loop stability analysis. It cantherefore be easier to design or adjust the loop filter for stableoperation of the ΣΔ modulator, whether the loop filter is arranged as afirst order filter or as a higher order filter.

In an embodiment of the disclosure there is provided a sigma-deltamodulator comprising:

-   -   a summing stage for generating an error signal as the difference        between an input signal and a feedback signal;    -   a loop filter coupled to an output of the summing stage for        filtering the error signal;    -   a multi-bit quantizer coupled to an output of the loop filter        for quantizing the filtered error signal;    -   a digital filter coupled to an output of the multi-bit        quantizer; and    -   a feedback path coupling an output of the digital filter to the        summing stage for providing the feedback signal to the summing        stage, the feedback signal having fewer bits than a number of        bits produced by the multi-bit quantizer,

wherein the digital filter has an order greater than one in a passbandof the sigma-delta modulator.

In an embodiment of the disclosure there is provided a method ofconverting a signal comprising:

-   -   generating an error signal as the difference between an input        signal and a feedback signal;    -   filtering the error signal;    -   quantizing the filtered error signal using a multi-bit        quantizer;    -   filtering the quantized and filtered error signal using a        digital filter; and    -   generating the feedback signal from an output signal of the        digital filter,

wherein the feedback signal has fewer bits than a number of bitsproduced by the multi-bit quantizer; and

wherein the digital filter has an order greater than one inside apassband of the sigma-delta modulator.

By providing, after the multi-bit quantizer, a digital filter having anorder greater than one, the digital filter can have a gain differencebetween inside and outside of the passband of the ΣΔ modulatorsufficient to provide improved suppression of the quantization noise inthe feedback signal. Also, the remaining quantization noise can be lesscorrelated with the input signal. This means the remaining noise tendsto be less concentrated in the frequencies predominating in the inputsignal, which means less distortion of the output at the frequencies ofinterest. This can be applied in a ΣΔ modulator, or in any feedback typemodulator where there is a big noise source which can be suppressed byproviding gain in front of it.

As noted, the use of a multi-bit quantizer helps reduce quantizationnoise. The feedback having fewer bits helps reduce non-linearity errors.

An additional feature of some embodiments is the frequency response ofthe digital filter having a substantially flat gain profile outside ofthe passband of the sigma-delta modulator. A notable consequence of theflat gain is that there will be little or no effect on thecharacteristics of the loop filter. This means that there may be littleor no need to alter a conventional loop filter to accommodate thedigital filter and the feedback signal having fewer bits. This canenable an increase in performance with little or no burden ofredesigning and optimizing the loop filter. This can otherwise be aconsiderable burden, for example in cases where there are multipleadjustments such as filter coefficients, and where it is time consumingto make adjustments without adding instability, or for other reasons.Furthermore, in some cases, costs in redesign, manufacturing andretesting can be saved, or the design of the loop filter can be madesimpler or more effective by providing the flat gain characteristic.

An additional feature of some embodiments is the difference in gain ofthe digital filter inside and outside of the passband of the sigma-deltamodulator being greater than or equal to 20 log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1)) dB,where y is the number of bits of the feedback signal and z is the numberof bits of the multi-bit quantizer. This can provide improvedsuppression of quantization noise.

An additional feature of some embodiments is the frequency response ofthe combination of the loop filter and the digital filter having a firstorder roll-off of gain outside of the passband of the sigma-deltamodulator. This can provide stability of the sigma-delta modulator loop.

In an embodiment, a sigma-delta modulator comprises: a summing stageconfigured to generate an error signal as a difference between an inputsignal and a feedback signal; a loop filter coupled to an output of thesumming stage and configured to filter the error signal; a multi-bitquantizer coupled to an output of the loop filter and configured toquantize the filtered error signal; a digital filter coupled to anoutput of the multi-bit quantizer; and a feedback path coupling anoutput of the digital filter to the summing stage, and configured toprovide the feedback signal to the summing stage, the feedback signalhaving fewer bits than a number of bits produced by the multi-bitquantizer, wherein the digital filter has an order greater than one in apassband of the sigma-delta modulator. In an embodiment, a frequencyresponse of the digital filter has a substantially flat gain outside ofthe passband of the sigma-delta modulator. In an embodiment, adifference in gain of the digital filter inside and outside of thepassband of the sigma-delta modulator is greater than or equal to 20log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1)) dB, where y is a number of bits of the feedbacksignal and z is a number of bits produced by the multi-bit quantizer. Inan embodiment, a frequency response of a combination of the loop filterand the digital filter has a first order roll-off of gain outside of thepassband of the sigma-delta modulator. In an embodiment, the sigma-deltamodulator comprises a 1-bit quantizer coupled to the output of thedigital filter, the 1-bit quantizer configured to generate the feedbacksignal as a 1-bit feedback signal. In an embodiment, the 1-bit quantizeris configured to feed back a most significant bit of an output of thedigital filter. In an embodiment, the feedback path includes adigital-to-analog converter. In an embodiment, the loop filter comprisesat least one of a continuous time filter, a switched capacitor filter,and a digital filter. In an embodiment, the loop filter comprises afilter of order greater than one. In an embodiment, the loop filtercomprises an integrator. In an embodiment, the loop filter and thedigital filter have a bandpass amplitude response.

In an embodiment, an analog-to-digital converter comprises: asigma-delta modulator including: a summing stage configured to generatean error signal as a difference between an input signal and a feedbacksignal; a loop filter coupled to an output of the summing stage andconfigured to filter the error signal; a multi-bit quantizer coupled toan output of the loop filter and configured to quantize the filterederror signal; a first digital filter coupled to an output of themulti-bit quantizer; and a feedback path coupling an output of the firstdigital filter to the summing stage, and configured to provide thefeedback signal to the summing stage, the feedback signal having fewerbits than a number of bits produced by the multi-bit quantizer, whereinthe digital filter has an order greater than one in a passband of thesigma-delta modulator; and a second digital filter coupled to the outputof the first digital filter. In an embodiment, a frequency response ofthe first digital filter has a substantially flat gain outside of thepassband of the sigma-delta modulator. In an embodiment, a difference ingain of the first digital filter inside and outside of the passband ofthe sigma-delta modulator is greater than or equal to 20log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1)) dB, where y is a number of bits of the feedbacksignal and z is a number of bits produced by the multi-bit quantizer. Inan embodiment, a frequency response of a combination of the loop filterand the first digital filter has a first order roll-off of gain outsideof the passband of the sigma-delta modulator. In an embodiment, theanalog-to-digital converter comprises a 1-bit quantizer coupled betweenthe output of the first digital filter and an input of the seconddigital filter, the 1-bit quantizer configured to generate the feedbacksignal as a 1-bit feedback signal. In an embodiment, the 1-bit quantizeris configured to feed back a most significant bit of an output of thefirst digital filter. In an embodiment, the feedback path includes adigital-to-analog converter. In an embodiment, the loop filter comprisesat least one of a continuous time filter, a switched capacitor filter,and a digital filter. In an embodiment, the loop filter comprises afilter of order greater than one. In an embodiment, the loop filtercomprises an integrator. In an embodiment, the loop filter and the firstdigital filter have a bandpass amplitude response.

In an embodiment, a method of converting a signal using a sigma-deltamodulator comprises: generating an error signal as a difference betweenan input signal and a feedback signal; filtering the error signal;quantizing the filtered error signal using a multi-bit quantizer;filtering the quantized and filtered error signal using a digitalfilter; and generating the feedback signal based on an output signal ofthe digital filter, wherein the feedback signal has fewer bits than anumber of bits produced by the multi-bit quantizer, and the digitalfilter has an order greater than one in a passband of the sigma-deltamodulator. In an embodiment, generating the feedback signal comprisesapplying a 1-bit quantization to the output of the digital filter. In anembodiment, applying the 1-bit quantization comprises selecting a mostsignificant bit of the output of the digital filter. In an embodiment,generating the feedback signal comprises converting a digital feedbacksignal to an analog feedback signal. In an embodiment, filtering theerror signal comprises integrating the error signal.

In an embodiment, a system comprises: a sigma-delta modulator,including: means for generating an error signal as a difference betweenan input signal and a feedback signal; means for filtering the errorsignal; means for applying a multi-bit quantization to the filterederror signal; means for digitally filtering the quantized and filterederror signal; and means for generating the feedback signal from anoutput of the means for digitally filtering, wherein the feedback signalhas fewer bits than a number of bits produced by the means for applyinga multi-bit quantization, and the means for digitally filtering has anorder greater than one in a passband of the sigma-delta modulator. In anembodiment, a frequency response of the means for digitally filteringhas a substantially flat gain outside of the passband of the sigma-deltamodulator. In an embodiment, a difference in gain of the means fordigitally filtering inside and outside of the passband of thesigma-delta modulator is greater than or equal to 20log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1)) dB, where y is a number of bits of the feedbacksignal and z is a number of bits produced by the multi-bit quantizer. Inan embodiment, a frequency response of a combination of the means forfiltering the error signal and the means for digitally filtering has afirst order roll-off of gain outside of the passband of the sigma-deltamodulator. In an embodiment, the means for generating a feedback signalcomprises a 1-bit quantizer coupled to the means for digitallyfiltering, the 1-bit quantizer configured to generate the feedbacksignal as a 1-bit feedback signal. In an embodiment, the means forgenerating a feedback signal includes a digital-to-analog converter. Inan embodiment, the means for filtering the error signal comprises afilter of order greater than one. In an embodiment, the means forfiltering the error signal comprises an integrator. In an embodiment,the means for filtering the error signal and the means for digitallyfiltering have a bandpass amplitude response. In an embodiment, thesystem further comprises: a digital filter coupled to the output of themeans for digitally filtering.

Any of the additional features can be combined together and combinedwith any of the aspects. Other advantages will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, especially over other prior art. Numerous variationsand modifications can be made without departing from the claims. Itshould be noted that it is not intended to exclude from the signal-deltamodulator according to the third aspect of the disclosure, and themethod of converting a signal according to the fourth aspect of thedisclosure, the possibility of feedback to the digital filter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a continuous-time ΣΔ modulator,

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a continuous-time ΣΔ modulator in which thequantizer is linearily modeled,

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example analog loop filter, for use inthe modulator of FIG. 1, or in embodiments,

FIG. 4 shows the loop filter transfer function (H), noise transferfunction (NTF), and signal transfer function (STF), for the modulator ofFIG. 1,

FIG. 5 shows a simulated frequency response of a 4th order ΣΔ modulatorusing the filter of FIG. 3, with a full scale input signal,

FIG. 6 shows a 1-bit and a 5-bit modulator output signal, asalternatives for comparison,

FIG. 7 shows the output spectrum of a 4th order 1-bit and a 4th order5-bit ΣΔ modulator, as alternatives for comparison,

FIG. 8 shows a ΣΔ modulator architecture according to an embodiment,

FIG. 9 shows a linearized model of the ΣΔ modulator architecture of FIG.8,

FIG. 10 shows graphs of example filter frequency responsecharacteristics, for use in embodiments,

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment, showing a converter having a modulatorand an additional digital filter,

FIG. 12 shows the output spectra of a conventional modulator and of anembodiment, having a 5th order 5-bit ΣΔ modulator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are given toprovide a thorough understanding of embodiments. The embodiments can bepracticed without one or more of the specific details, or with othermethods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-knownstructures, materials, or operations, such as, for example, filters andintegrators, are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuringaspects of the embodiments.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in oneembodiment” “according to an embodiment” or “in an embodiment” andsimilar phrases in various places throughout this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined inany suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

The figures are not necessarily reflective of relative proportions andpositioning of the structures shown therein.

The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do notinterpret the scope or meaning of the embodiments.

By way of introduction to the embodiments, the operation of a known ΣΔmodulator such as can be used for an ADC will be discussed. An ADC usinga ΣΔ modulator (which will be termed a ΣΔ ADC) can provide a performancebenefit in terms of allowing a high dynamic range of signals to bereceived for a small amount of power consumption. The power advantage ofusing such an ΣΔ ADC is maximized if the digital filter following the ΣΔmodulator can be implemented efficiently. The highly over sampled outputof a ΣΔ modulator places extra processing burden into the digital domainresulting in increased power consumption. The analog side of the ADC(for example, a 1-bit ADC/DAC and filter) can be relatively simple. Thedigital side performs filtering and decimation and makes the ADCinexpensive to produce in practice.

The principle of operation of the ΣΔ modulator is well known. Insummary, an input analog information signal is fed to a feedback loopcomprising a continuous-time analog filter such as an integrator fornoise shaping, followed by a quantizer which samples the signal and afeedback path using a DAC. The output signal of the ΣΔ modulator is astream of bits at a highly oversampled rate. The oversampled bitstreamis optionally fed to subsequent digital processing which converts thebitstream to a lower rate representation of the information signal bydecimation and digital filtering, to provide a stream of values withmore bits, and a lower sample frequency. The oversampling frequency isset to kf_(s), where f_(s) is the Nyquist sampling frequency and k isthe oversampling ratio. The oversampling causes the noise floor to dropin the same bandwidth. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the frequencyrange 0-fs is the same as before, but the noise energy has been spreadover a wider frequency range. ΣΔ ADCs exploit this effect by followingthe 1-bit ADC with a subsequent digital filter. An example of anembodiment having such a subsequent digital filter, SF 310, is shown inFIG. 11, described below. The RMS noise is reduced, because most of thenoise is removed by this subsequent digital filter. This action enablesΣΔ ADCs to achieve wide dynamic range from a low-resolution quantizer.By summing an error voltage, which is the difference between the inputsignal and a feedback signal, the loop filter in the form of anintegrator function, acts as a lowpass filter to its input signal. Mostof the quantization noise is pushed into higher frequencies where it isremoved by digital filtering.

Oversampling and integrating is not directed to changing the total noisepower, but its distribution.

The subsequent digital filter can average the 1-bit data stream, improvethe ADC resolution, and remove quantization noise that is outside theband of interest. It determines the signal bandwidth, settling time, andstopband rejection. The subsequent digital filter is after the ΣΔmodulator, and should not be confused with the digital filter of the ΣΔmodulator as described below. A comparative example illustrating somefeatures of a ΣΔ modulator 100 is shown for reference purposes inFIG. 1. The ΣΔ modulator 100 comprises an analog input 15 for receivingan input signal X, an analog loop filter 20, a multi-bit quantizer 30with sample frequency f_(s), a digital output 17 for providing an outputsignal Y, a feedback DAC 40 for calculating the analog representation ofthe quantized signal, and a summing stage 10 for calculating an errorsignal as the difference between the input signal X and the quantizedsignal. To the ΣΔ modulator 100 a sample frequency of f_(s)=k×2×f_(BW)is applied, where f_(BW) is the signal bandwidth. The oversampling ratiok indicates how many times the sample frequency is higher than thesample frequency defined by Nyquist. In order to have a highsignal-to-noise ratio the quantizer 30 should have a high-resolution.

In order to calculate the analog representation of the quantized signal,the DAC 40 should ideally have the same resolution as the quantizer 30.Unfortunately in practice it is difficult to provide such a DAC 40 withsufficient linearity, due to non-linearities in the feedback. DAC 40quantization noise can fold back into the signal bandwidth, whichdecreases the maximum signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SDNR).Furthermore non-linearities in the DAC 40 may also cause harmonicdistortion of the input signal.

The ΣΔ modulator 100 of FIG. 1 can be modeled with the scheme shown inFIG. 2, where the quantizer 30 is replaced by a quantization noisesource having a noise N and a gain C, which represents the gain of thequantizer. From this model the transfer function can be calculated as:

$\begin{matrix}{Y = {{\frac{C \cdot H}{1 + {C \cdot H}}X} + {\frac{C}{1 + {C \cdot H}}N}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

where H is the transfer function of the loop filter 20. For the loopfilter 20, a low pass filter implemented with integrators is assumed,which has very high gain for low frequencies and has a certain orderroll-off for higher frequencies. At low frequencies the signal X at theinput 15 is amplified to the output 17 with a factor of one because ofthe high gain in the loop filter 20, and the quantization noise issuppressed with this gain. At high frequencies the loop filter 20 has alow gain and the noise rises with the loop filter order. This is anarbitrarily chosen ΣΔ converter. It can be of any order and any numberof bits.

In FIG. 3, a block diagram of a 4th order loop filter is shown as anexample. This can be used in embodiments such as, for example, theembodiment of FIG. 8. It can be implemented using analog circuitry ordigital circuitry or combinations thereof. A first integrator 70 isfollowed by a first clipping circuit 80. An output of the first clippingcircuit 80 is amplified by a first amplifier 90 having a gain a₁. Theoutput of the first clipping circuit 80 is also fed along a chain offurther integrators 72, 74, 76 and clipping circuits 82, 84, 86 coupledin series. At each stage, the output of each clipping circuit 82, 84, 86is fed to respective amplifiers 92, 94, 96 having respective gains a₂,a₃ and a₄. The outputs of the amplifiers 90, 92, 94, 96 are summed by asumming stage 98 to provide the overall output of the loop filter 20.Filters of other orders can be provided, for example, by altering thenumber of integrators in the chain.

For high frequencies, the loop transfer function is reduced to firstorder by the feed-forward gain coefficients a₂, a₃ and a₄ to ensure loopstability. The clip levels are implemented to ensure stability at largeamplitude input signals.

In FIG. 4, the transfer function H of the 4th order loop filter 20 isshown (upper of the three lines) together with the closed loop SignalTransfer Function (STF, middle line of the three lines) and NoiseTransfer Function (NTF, lower of the three lines). The STF and NTF aredefined below:

$\begin{matrix}{{STF} = {\frac{Y}{X} = \frac{C \cdot H}{1 + {C \cdot H}}}} & \left( {2a} \right) \\{{NTF} = {\frac{Y}{N} = \frac{C}{1 + {C \cdot H}}}} & \left( {2b} \right)\end{matrix}$

The order of the loop filter can be read from the plot and indeed is 4thorder. The noise transfer function rises 4th order with frequency.

In the STF a bump is present, caused by the limited phase margin of theloop filter H. At high frequencies the loop has to return to first orderfor loop stability, but lowering the return-to-first-order frequencywill reduce the suppression of quantization noise in the signalbandwidth, which is unwanted. So a trade-off has to be made betweenphase margin and suppression of quantization noise.

A simulated frequency response of the ΣΔ modulator 100 of FIG. 1 isshown in FIG. 5. The signal-to-noise ratio calculated from the plot is68 dB in a 2 MHz bandwidth at a sample rate of 153.6 MHz. The 4th ordernoise shaping can be recognized in the spectrum.

The quantizer 30 and DAC 40 in a ΣΔ modulator 100 are normally of thesame resolution and can be 1-bit or multi-bit. An output bit-stream of a1-bit and a 5-bit ΣΔ modulator are displayed in FIG. 6, together with anideal input sine wave, where n is the number of quantization levels,respectively 2 and 32. The 1-bit stream varies between 1 and −1, whilethe 5-bit stream is close to the ideal, that is the analog sine waveprior to quantization.

When comparing the two bit-streams it is easy to see that thequantization noise is smaller when a multi-bit quantizer and DACcombination is used. The improvement in quantization noise, going from 2level to a higher number of levels 2^(w), for a w-bit quantizer, can becalculated with the formula below

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{N_{1 - {bit}}}{N_{W - {bit}}} = {20{\log_{10}\left( {2^{W} - 1} \right)}}} & (3)\end{matrix}$

This formula indicates an improvement of approximately 6 dB for each bitof a multi-bit quantizer. When comparing the sinewaves in FIG. 6, whichindicate the maximum input signal, another thing that can be seen fromthe bit-streams is that the input amplitude can be larger in a multi-bitmodulator when compared to a 1-bit modulator. The maximumsignal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) is given by the followingformula:

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{V_{{in},\max,w}}{V_{{in},\max,2}} = {20{\log\left( {\frac{{0.5\sqrt{2}} + n - 2}{n - 1} \cdot \frac{1}{0.5\sqrt{2}}} \right)}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

where V_(in,max,w) is the maximum amplitude of the input signal for aw-bit quantizer, which has 2^(w) quantization levels, and V_(in,max,2)is the maximum amplitude of the input signal for a 1-bit quantizer,which has 2 levels.

A simulated noise amplitude of a 1-bit and 5-bit modulator is shown inFIG. 7 for a resolution bandwidth (RBW) of 10 kHz, the lower of the twolines being for the 5-bit modulator, and the upper line being for the1-bit modulator. From simulation a SQNR of 67.7 dB is derived for the1-bit modulator and a SQNR of 101.1 dB for the 5-bit modulator.

This is an improvement of about 33 dB when going from 1-bit to 5-bit. Atheoretical estimation yields 29.8 dB improvement in SQNR from formula 3and 2.9 dB from formula 4.

A problem of multi-bit ΣΔ modulators is the linearity in the DAC 40. Dueto non-linearities in the feedback DAC 40, quantization noise can foldback into the signal bandwidth, which decreases the maximum achievableSNDR. Furthermore non-linearities in the DAC 40 may also cause harmonicdistortion of the input signal.

Static and dynamic non-linearities can occur in the feedback DAC 40.Static non-linearities originate from mismatches in the feedback DAC 40unit cells. These unit cells, which may be implemented with resistors,capacitors or current sources, are used to create the different outputlevels in the DAC 40 and when there are mismatches in these unit cellsthe transfer curve of the DAC 40 will not be a straight line. Based onexperience, static DAC linearities of about 60-70 dB are achievable,depending on the implementation of the unit cell. To reduce the staticnon-linearities in the DAC 40, Dynamic Element Matching (DEM) and DataWeighted Averaging (DWA) techniques can be used, of which the topologiesare well known and will not be discussed here. Dependent on theirimplementation, extra chip area and a higher sample frequency is oftenneeded to facilitate the improvement scheme. Furthermore the improvementin SNDR is only small.

The second non-linearity that occurs in multi-bit modulators is of thedynamic kind. A dynamic non-linearity occurs when switching charges arenot the same at every DAC output level, for example due to parasitics.At high speeds this becomes more severe and has to be considered verycarefully in circuit design and layout.

A special kind of 1-bit modulator is a 1.5 bit modulator. In thismodulator both the quantizer 30 and feedback DAC 40 have three levels(+1, 0, −1). In the middle level, the feedback current is zero, which iseasy to implement in circuit design. In 1.5 bit modulators good staticlinearity of the feedback DAC 40 is rather easy to achieve.

In prior multi-bit ΣΔ modulator solutions, the feedback DAC 40 is alsomulti-bit, and the dynamic linearity problem can be solved in differentways:

Dynamic Element Matching/Data Weighted Averaging. This class oftechniques to linearize the DAC 40 is limited by the order of the loopfilter 20, and often needs a higher clock frequency than the samplefrequency f_(s) used for the ΣΔ modulator 100.

Barrel shifting of unit elements. In this technique the unit cells ofthe DAC 40 are rotated in use, which gives only a small improvement inlinearity.

Calibration of current sources. The calibration of current sourcesimproves the linearity of the DAC 40, and linearities up to 14-bit areshown in publications, but this kind of linearizing techniques is quitecomplicated to design.

The embodiments involve a different approach, but these knownapproaches, or features of them can also be combined with the differentapproach of the embodiments described.

The embodiments described relate to apparatus or methods for providingmore linear feedback to a multi-bit modulator. In some embodiments a ΣΔmodulator is provided comprising a signal processing chain withsuccessively a loop filter, a w-bit quantizer, a digital filter and a1-bit quantizer. Some embodiments as will be described below cancomprise in addition to the standard noise shaping loop filter 20 and amulti-bit quantizer 30, a digital filter for filtering the output of themulti-bit quantizer 30 and a 1-bit quantizer for quantizing the outputof the digital filter and providing the output signal Y and the feedbacksignal. On the one hand the 1-bit quantizer is inherently linear. On theother hand the presence of the multi-bit quantizer 30 enables part ofthe loop-filtering to be handled by the digital filter. Alternatively, afurther multi-bit quantizer can be used in place of the 1-bit quantizer.The digital filter can have a frequency characteristic which can beshaped more flexibly so as to provide a much better suppression of thenoise in the frequency region of interest, without being subject toprocess imperfections. Where gain is provided by the digital filter, itis not essential that a single filter provides the gain characteristic;instead the digital filter can be implemented as two or more filters inseries, such as one to provide the gain in the first frequency band ofinterest, and another to provide a flat gain at higher frequencies.

Additional features can be as follows. These features are notnecessarily essential to all embodiments; they can be omitted orsubstituted.

The digital filter can have an order greater than one in the passband ofthe ΣΔ modulator. The gain characteristic of the digital filter outsideof the passband of the ΣΔ can have a flat gain profile. The feedbacksignal can comprise a 1-bit signal. The feedback signal can comprise amost significant bit of an output of the digital filter. The loop filter20 can comprise any of a continuous time filter, a switched capacitorfilter, or a digital filter. In the case of a digital filter, aconverter may be used to convert the analog input to a digital signalfor input to the digital loop filter 20. The loop filter 20 can comprisea first order or higher order filter. The loop filter 20 can comprise anintegrator. The digital filter can have a gain in the passband of the ΣΔmodulator which exceeds the gain outside the passband of the ΣΔmodulator by at least 20 log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1)) dB, where y is the numberof bits of the feedback signal and z is the number of bits of themulti-bit quantizer 30.

The frequency response of the combination of the loop filter and thedigital filter may have a first order roll-off of gain outside of thepassband of the sigma-delta modulator. The analog loop filter 20 anddigital filter can be implemented as a bandpass filter, yielding abandpass ΣΔ modulator.

The above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,368 document needs stabilityanalysis of multiple loops, while some embodiments may only have oneloop. To contrast with U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,368, a simulation of a ΣΔ ADCin accordance with an embodiment is also described below.

Referring to the embodiment of the ΣΔ modulator 200 shown in FIG. 8,elements which are identical to those of FIG. 1 have the same referencenumerals. The feedback loop contains the loop filter 20 discussed above,the multi-bit quantizer 30, a digital filter 50, and a 1-bit quantizer60. If we leave out the digital filter 50 and the 1-bit quantizer 60,the loop would be a conventional ΣΔ loop (as in FIG. 1), with the loopfilter 20 providing the noise shaping function, and the multi-bitquantizer 30 lowering the quantization noise by 6x dB, where x is thenumber of bits of the multi-bit quantizer, as discussed above.

The DAC 40 should be linear to avoid high frequency quantization noisefolding back into the signal band.

Gain greater than 0 dB in the passband of the ΣΔ modulator 200 may beintroduced between the multi-bit quantizer 30 and 1-bit quantizer 60 bythe digital filter 50.

The digital filter 50 can suppress the quantization noise introduced bythe 1-bit quantizer 60. An output 117 can be taken from after the 1-bitquantizer 60. An alternative to the 1-bit quantizer 60 is to usemultiple bits, provided fewer bits are taken than the number of bitsprovided by the multi-bit quantizer 30 to the digital filter 50. Otherelements can be added into the loop to suit particular applications. TheΣΔ modulator presented in FIG. 8 can be linearized, which leads to themodel presented in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 9, Q₁ represents the quantization noise of the multi-bitquantizer 30, and Q₂ represents the quantization noise of the 1-bitquantizer 60. The output signal Y at the output 117 can be calculated interms of the input signal X at the input 15 as:

$\begin{matrix}{Y = {{\frac{HF}{1 + {HF}}X} + {\frac{F}{1 + {HF}}Q_{1}} + {\frac{1}{1 + {HF}}Q_{2}}}} & (5)\end{matrix}$

where H is the transfer function of the loop filter 20, F is thetransfer function of the digital filter 50, Q₁ is the quantization noisedue to the multi-bit quantizer 30, and Q₂ is the quantization noise dueto the 1-bit quantizer 60. As can be seen from the formula above, whenthe loop filter 20 and the digital filter 50 have a high gain in thepass band of the ΣΔ modulator 200, the input signal X is amplified byone to the output signal Y in the passband. Q₁ is suppressed by the gainof the loop filter 20, as in a conventional ΣΔ modulator. Q₂ issuppressed by the product of H and F, and is even more suppressedcompared to Q₁, if the digital filter 50 has a high gain in the passbandof the ΣΔ modulator 200. Alternatively, the digital filter 50 need nothave a high gain provided it has a high gain difference of at least 20log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1)) dB between the passband and outside of the passbandof the ΣΔ modulator. To get the full advantage of the multi-bitquantizer 30, Q₂ has to be below Q₁, calculated to the output 117. Asdescribed above, adding a bit in the multi-bit quantizer 30, would lowerquantization noise introduced by the multi-bit quantizer 30 by about 6dB.

So, compared to the 1-bit quantizer 60, the performance of the ΣΔmodulator 200 would be about 6.z dB better. If an example of a 5-bitquantizer is taken, this would mean that the quantization noise of the5-bit quantizer when used for the multi-bit quantizer 30 is about 30 dBbelow that of the 1-bit quantizer 60. This means that the digital filter50 needs more than about 30 dB of gain in the passband to get Q₂ belowQ₁, to get the full advantage of the multi-bit quantizer 30 togetherwith the 1-bit quantizer 60, which inherently provides a linear feedbackpath. Alternatively, the digital filter 50 needs at least about 30 dBgain difference between the passband and outside of the passband of theΣΔ modulator. The figures can be calculated as 20 log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1)dB.

FIG. 10 shows three graphs of the amplitude of the frequency response.The left graph is an example of the response |H of loop filter 20; themiddle graph shows an example of the response |F| of the digital filter50; and the right graph shows the combined response |HF| of the loopfilter 20 and the digital filter 50. As mentioned above, the digitalfilter 50 should have high gain, or a high gain difference, in a firstband of frequencies, for example in the bandwidth of the input signal X,or equivalently in the passband of the ΣΔ modulator, to suppress thelevel of the quantization noise Q₂ below the level of Q₁. The gain athigher frequencies should be lower, preferably by at least 20log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1) dB. Another desired feature is that the digitalfilter 50 should not jeopardize the stability of the loop. Hence in someembodiments, to reduce or avoid instability of the loop, the digitalfilter 50 should have flat gain outside of the passband of the ΣΔmodulator, in order to avoid excessive phase shift at high frequencies,which can make the loop unstable. If the group delay at high frequenciesintroduced by the digital filter 50 is kept low, the loop will remainstable with little or no change to the set of gain coefficients in theloop filter 20 compared with the gain coefficients for the loop filter20 for a conventional ΣΔ modulator 100. Thus, the frequency response ofthe combination of the loop filter and the digital filter can provide afirst order roll-off of gain outside of the passband of the sigma-deltamodulator.

From the right-hand graph in FIG. 10 it can be seen that in the signalbandwidth there is more gain compared to the left graph (the differenceis |F|). The quantization noise of Q₂ will not only be suppressed by theloop filter 20 but also by the digital filter 50. From the same graphsit can be seen that the stability of the ΣΔ modulator 200 remainsunchanged, compared with a conventional ΣΔ modulator 100, because thefrequency response of the digital filter 50 is flat and does not haveexcessive phase shift at high frequencies. Because the stability of theloop filter 20 is determined by the feedforward gain coefficients a₁,a₂, a₃, a₄ of the analog loop filter 20, no additional feedback pathswill be required. This helps make the design of such a ΣΔ modulator muchsimpler.

In the graphs of FIG. 10, the transition in the frequency response H ofthe loop filter 20 between a first order response and a higher orderresponse occurs at the same frequency as the bandwidth of the digitalfilter 50. However this is not an essential requirement, and thetransition may occur at a higher or lower frequency.

Advantageously the gain profile of the digital filter 50 should be flat,and not exceed one outside the passband of the digital filter 50. Inorder to ensure the stability of a feedback loop, typically the firstorder slope of the gain profile of the filtering in the loop, in thiscase the combination of the loop filter 20 and the digital filter 50,has to go through 0 dB.

The loop filter 20 of a conventional ΣΔ modulator 100 has this firstorder slope, so if another slope in the characteristic is added into theloop, it will tend to become unstable. Therefore, by providing thedigital filter 50 with a gain profile that is flat, and does not exceedone outside the passband of the digital filter 50, the coefficients of aconventional ΣΔ modulator 100 typically do not need to be altered.Clearly the gain characteristic can be a band pass characteristic, withlower gain at frequencies above and below the signal band.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of an analog-to-digital converter 300employing the ΣΔ modulator 200 shown in FIG. 8. The output signal Y ofthe ΣΔ modulator 200 is fed to an input of a subsequent digital filter70 having a transfer function SF.

In FIG. 12, the output spectrum over a range of 100 Hz to 100 MHz on alogarithmic scale, of a conventional 5th order ΣΔ modulator 100comprising a 5-bit quantizer is shown (lower plot). The figure alsoshows the output spectrum of the new architecture according to theinvention (upper plot), which in this case is also implemented with a5th order loop filter 20 and a 5-bit quantizer 30. The ΣΔ modulator 200in this case uses a digital filter 50 which has 30 dB gain in thepassband of 500 kHz and 0 dB gain at higher frequencies.

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the ΣΔ modulator 200 is 134.3 dB,about 4 dB worse compared to the conventional ΣΔ modulator 100 which hasa SNR of 138.4 dB. This is due to the gain of the digital filter 50. Asindicated above, the gain of the digital filter 50 in the pass band ofthe ΣΔ modulator 200, or gain difference inband and out-of-band, shouldbe at least 20 log₁₀((2Y−1)/(2z−1) dB. This is not the case in thisexample; the gain is 30 dB which is just enough to attenuate Q₂ to thesame level as Q₁, which means the total noise rises by 3 dB compared tothe conventional ΣΔ modulator 100. This can be improved by increasingthe gain, or inband and out-of-band gain difference, in the digitalfilter 50. At high frequencies the quantization noise is higher forembodiments compared to the conventional architecture. This is thequantization noise of the 1-bit quantizer because the digital filter 50has 0 dB gain at high frequencies.

Embodiments can benefit from the fact that there is a multi-bitquantizer 30 in the loop, can benefit from the advantages of a 1-bitinherently linear feedback DAC 40, and can have a higher degree ofdigitization because a multi-bit DAC which has to be very linear,(therefore needing precision analog parts) is replaced by a digitalfilter.

An example application in a radio frequency (RF) receiver or othersystem can have an ADC comprising the ΣΔ modulator 200 and followed byan adaptable digital filter for channel selection or noise removal, orother purpose. A detector determines a level of interference fromoutside the desired signal band, and feeds this information forward tothe adaptable filter. Other analog stages can precede the ADC, and otherdigital processing stages can follow the adaptable digital filter. Therecan also be other digital processing stages before the adaptable filter,such as automatic gain control (AGC). The arrangement can form part of awireless receiver, or can be applied to other systems susceptible tochanging interfering signals. The interference information canoptionally be fed forward to other subsequent circuit stages such as anequalizer, or a demodulator for example. The amount of processing bythese subsequent stages can be adjusted according to the information, tosuit different conditions. For example the number of least significantbits used can be changed or a number of filtering stages changed to savepower consumption.

Also, optionally the detector can be fed from the analog signal beforethe ADC. In this case, a relatively simple filter can be implemented inthe detector by means of analog components, or the signal can beconverted to digital format and a simple digital filter can beimplemented with a relatively low number of coefficients and arelatively low update rate.

In a receiver having an adaptable digital filter and a ΣΔ ADC, theadaptable digital filter can combine the decimation function for the ADCand the channel filter function. This can be implemented in an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (field programmablegate array) type circuit, or can be carried out by a DSP (digital signalprocessor), as desired. A DSP can be provided for subsequent digitalprocessing such as demodulation, equalization and so on.

The receiver can have an antenna, and conventional analog circuitry suchas an RF filter, followed by a mixer for mixing a local oscillatorsignal LO. An analog low pass filter is followed by the ΣΔ ADC. Thisfeeds a digital signal to the adaptable digital filter, which is adaptedaccording to the unwanted signal information, to adapt the channelfilter function to optimize it for power efficiency. The detector can bemuch simpler than the adaptable digital filter, to save power or reducecomplexity. Notably, the adaptation of the digital filter processing canbe relatively autonomous, in other words independent of higher levels ofsoftware controlling a system or applications using the circuitry, andso need not add complexity to the interface to such software. Thedetection information can include power levels, averaged levels,frequencies, frequency ranges, comparisons to thresholds, comparisons towanted parts of the signal, combinations of these and so on.

Another application as an alternative to an ADC is a digital-digitalnoise shaper. In this embodiment, the arrangement of FIG. 8, or of FIG.11 can be used, with the loop filter 20 being a digital filter, and theinput signal X being a digital signal rather than an analog signal. Thequantizer 30 in this case acts as a re-sampler, taking a number ofsamples at a low quantization level, and outputting a single sample at ahigher quantization level. Also, the DAC 40 can be omitted from thefeedback path and the summing stage 10 implemented digitally. Othervariations and additions can be envisaged within the scope of theclaims.

Examples have been described with respect to particular embodiments andwith reference to certain drawings but this disclosure is not limitedthereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are onlyschematic and are non-limiting. Where the term “comprising” is used inthe present description and claims, it does not exclude other elementsor steps. Where an indefinite or definite article is used when referringto a singular noun, e.g., “a” or “an”, “the”, this includes a plural ofthat noun unless something else is specifically stated. The term“comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as beingrestricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude otherelements or steps. References to numerical values or ranges areapproximate.

Some embodiments may take the form of computer program products. Forexample, according to one embodiment there is provided a computerreadable medium comprising a computer program adapted to perform one ormore of the methods described above or to implement one or more of thedevices described above. The medium may be a physical storage mediumsuch as for example a Read Only Memory (ROM) chip, or a disk such as aDigital Versatile Disk (DVD-ROM), Compact Disk (CD-ROM), a hard disk, amemory, a network, or a portable media article to be read by anappropriate drive or via an appropriate connection, including as encodedin one or more barcodes or other related codes stored on one or moresuch computer-readable mediums and being readable by an appropriatereader device.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, some or all of the systems and/ormodules may be implemented or provided in other manners, such as atleast partially in firmware and/or hardware, including, but not limitedto, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs),discrete circuitry, standard integrated circuits, controllers (e.g., byexecuting appropriate instructions, and including microcontrollersand/or embedded controllers), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc., as well as devicesthat employ RFID technology. In some embodiments, some of the modules orcontrollers separately described herein may be combined, split intofurther modules and/or split and recombined in various manners.

The systems, modules and data structures may also be transmitted asgenerated data signals (e.g., as part of a carrier wave) on a variety ofcomputer-readable transmission mediums, including wireless-based andwired/cable-based mediums.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary to employ concepts of the various patents, application andpublications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

1-37. (canceled)
 38. A sigma-delta modulator comprising: a summing stagefor generating an error signal as a difference between an input signaland a feedback signal; a loop filter coupled to an output of the summingstage for filtering the error signal; a multi-bit quantiser coupled toan output of the loop filter for quantising the filtered error signal;and a digital filter coupled to an output of the multi-bit quantiser; afeedback path coupling an output of the digital filter to the summingstage for providing the feedback signal to the summing stage, thefeedback signal having fewer bits than a number of bits produced by themulti-bit quantiser; wherein the difference in gain of the digitalfilter inside and outside of a passband of the sigma-delta modulator isgreater than or equal to 20 log 10((2y−1)/(2z−1)) dB, where y is thenumber of bits of the feedback signal and z is the number of bits of themulti-bit quantiser.
 39. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 38, thedigital filter having a gain not exceeding one outside a passband of thedigital filter.
 40. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 38, the digitalfilter having an order greater than one in the passband of thesigma-delta modulator.
 41. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 38,wherein there is no other feedback path coupling the output of thedigital filter to an input of the digital filter.
 42. The sigma-deltamodulator of claim 38, wherein the frequency response of the combinationof the loop filter and the digital filter has a first order roll-off ofgain outside of the passband of the sigma-delta modulator.
 43. Thesigma-delta modulator of claim 38, comprising a 1-bit quantiser coupledto the output of the digital filter for generating the feedback signalas a 1-bit feedback signal.
 44. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 43,the 1-bit quantiser being arranged to feed back a most significant bitof an output of the digital filter.
 45. The sigma-delta modulator ofclaim 38, wherein the feedback path includes a digital-to-analogueconverter.
 46. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 38, the loop filtercomprising any of a continuous time filter, a switched capacitor filter,or a digital filter.
 47. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 38, the loopfilter comprising a filter of order greater than one.
 48. Thesigma-delta modulator of claim 38, the loop filter comprising anintegrator.
 49. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 38, the loop filterand the digital filter having a bandpass amplitude response.
 50. Ananalogue-to-digital converter having the sigma-delta modulator of claim38 and a further digital filter coupled to the output of the digitalfilter.
 51. A sigma-delta modulator comprising: a summing stage forgenerating an error signal as a difference between an input signal and afeedback signal; a loop filter coupled to an output of the summing stagefor filtering the error signal; a multi-bit quantiser coupled to anoutput of the loop filter for quantising the filtered error signal; adigital filter coupled to an output of the multi-bit quantiser; and afeedback path coupling an output of the digital filter to the summingstage for providing the feedback signal to the summing stage, thefeedback signal having fewer bits than a number of bits produced by themulti-bit quantiser, wherein the frequency response of the digitalfilter has a substantially flat gain outside of the passband of thesigma-delta.
 52. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 51, the digitalfilter having a gain not exceeding one outside a passband of the digitalfilter.
 53. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 51, the digital filterhaving an order greater than one in the passband of the sigma-deltamodulator.
 54. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 51, wherein there isno other feedback path coupling the output of the digital filter to aninput of the digital filter.
 55. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 51,wherein the frequency response of the combination of the loop filter andthe digital filter has a first order roll-off of gain outside of thepassband of the sigma-delta modulator.
 56. The sigma-delta modulator ofclaim 51, comprising a 1-bit quantiser coupled to the output of thedigital filter for generating the feedback signal as a 1-bit feedbacksignal.
 57. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 56, the 1-bit quantiserbeing arranged to feed back a most significant bit of an output of thedigital filter.
 58. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 51, wherein thefeedback path includes a digital-to-analogue converter.
 59. Thesigma-delta modulator of claim 51, the loop filter comprising any of acontinuous time filter, a switched capacitor filter, or a digitalfilter.
 60. The sigma-delta modulator of claim 51, the loop filtercomprising a filter of order greater than one.
 61. The sigma-deltamodulator of claim 51, the loop filter comprising an integrator.
 62. Thesigma-delta modulator of claim 51, the loop filter and the digitalfilter having a bandpass amplitude response.
 63. The sigma-deltamodulator of claim 51, wherein the difference in gain of the digitalfilter inside and outside of the passband of the sigma-delta modulatoris greater than or equal to 20 log 10((2y−1)/(2z−1)) dB, where y is thenumber of bits of the feedback signal and z is the number of bits of themulti-bit quantiser.
 64. An analogue-to-digital converter having thesigma-delta modulator of claim 51 and a further digital filter coupledto the output of the digital filter.
 65. A method of converting a signalcomprising, in a sigma-delta modulator: generating an error signal asthe difference between an input signal and a feedback signal; filteringthe error signal; quantising the filtered error signal using a multi-bitquantiser; filtering the quantised and filtered error signal using adigital filter; and generating the feedback signal from an output signalof the digital filter, wherein the feedback signal has fewer bits than anumber of bits produced by the multi-bit quantiser; and wherein thedifference in gain of the digital filter inside and outside of apassband of the sigma-delta modulator is greater than or equal to 20 log10((2y−1)/(2z−1)) dB, where y is the number of bits of the feedbacksignal and z is the number of bits of the multi-bit quantiser.
 66. Amethod of converting a signal comprising, in a sigma-delta modulator:generating an error signal as the difference between an input signal anda feedback signal; filtering the error signal; quantising the filterederror signal using a multi-bit quantiser; filtering the quantised andfiltered error signal using a digital filter; and generating thefeedback signal from an output signal of the digital filter, wherein thefeedback signal has fewer bits than a number of bits produced by themulti-bit quantiser; and wherein the frequency response of the digitalfilter has a substantially flat gain outside of the passband of thesigma-delta modulator.